The Tageur's Work: Graffiti in Les Frigos

Les Frigos is infested with graffiti. Seemingly every square inch is covered in layer upon layer of tags and illustrations. Interestingly, even though the space is dark and the colors are glaring, the effect is not off-putting or unfriendly. There has been remarkably little conflict between the residents and the graffiti artists, even though it would seem that the territory is disputed between them. It seems there's a bit of a Darwinian element to this. No one dares paint over the better-looking stuff, while the commoner work is constantly being covered and recovered. The final result is a gallery of images and colors, suffusing what little natural light filters into the place with a warm, friendly glow.

Here's the view from the stairs on the third floor:


Here's the heavenly spiral stairs:



Here's my girlfriend, sitting under some very well decorated water pipes:



What little conflict there was over the tags appears to have been centered over their tendency to cover over names on doors and mailboxes. Here's a typical example:



. . . And here's how sculptor Jean-Paul Reti has finally managed to respond to the onslaught on his name tag: